The present invention relates broadly to apparatus for securing equipment to vehicles and, more particularly, to an apparatus for securing equipment such as ladders to an exterior portion of the vehicle with the apparatus being controllable from an interior portion or an exterior portion of the vehicle.
Ladders, hoses and other elongate equipment that may be required at a job site, rescue site or other event can typically be difficult to transport to and from the event. Construction workers, house painters, firemen, rescue personnel and even homeowners may need to transport ladders or other elongate equipment over highways with their vehicle. Typically, the vehicle may be a truck or van. The equipment is typically sufficiently elongate that the ladders or other equipment cannot be carried within the confines of the vehicle body, or the bed of a pick-up truck.
Typically, ladders and other elongate equipment are lashed to an overhead rack with rope, bungee cords, chains or other strand-like elements. Such impromptu tiedown arrangements can provide an unsafe condition when the vehicle is operated on a roadway. Further, should the vehicle be left unattended, the lack of any locking or securing of the ladders can lead to theft.
Danger also exists when placing ladders on the racks. Typically, when bungee cords or ropes are used, the person securing the ladder to the rack must stand on the bumper, tires, or other body structure to gain access to the ladders that are disposed on the roof or other elevated portion of the vehicle. Similar safety hazards exist when trying to remove ladders stowed on the ladder rack and lashed down with bungee cords or other strands.
The equipment can also become missile-like hazards in the event of a vehicle crash.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a device for securely attaching ladders or other elongated equipment to overhead racks or other body panel-mounted support structures while providing an added measure against theft.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a simple and effective equipment securing apparatus that will securely retain the equipment against a support structure, wall, platform or vehicle exterior.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an equipment securing apparatus that allows the securing of equipment to the exterior of a vehicle using a latching assembly disposed in the interior of the vehicle or to a platform using a latching assembly disposed on the opposite side of the platform.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an equipment securing apparatus having a latching assembly that is compact and that has minimal impact on vehicle storage space.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a latching assembly that is manually operable but requires only minimal effort to cause the securing apparatus to securely engage the equipment.
To these ends, an equipment securing apparatus is provided for securing equipment to a vehicle. The securing apparatus comprises an elongate shaft having a proximal end and a distal end and an equipment engagement member formed on the distal end of the shaft for securing engagement with equipment on the vehicle. The securing apparatus further comprises a latching assembly attachable to a portion of the vehicle. The latching assembly includes a housing having an upper wall and a shaft retaining portion with a passageway formed therein. The shaft is slidably mounted to the housing and extends through the passageway of the shaft retaining portion. The latching assembly also includes a spring mounted within the housing adjacent the upper wall. A spring support member and a load transfer member are mounted to the shaft. The spring support member and the load transfer member are configured for transferring a biasing force from the spring to the shaft. A spring compression control assembly is operatively connected to the spring support member. The latching assembly of the securing apparatus is selectively operable to retain the engagement member in a securing relationship with the equipment and to release the engagement member from the securing relationship.
The latching assembly of an equipment securing apparatus according to the present invention may be operable from an interior portion of a vehicle, the vehicle having body panels defining the interior portion and an area exterior to the vehicle. In this case, the equipment to be secured is supported by an exterior surface of the vehicle. At least one of the body panels of the vehicle has at least one body panel opening formed therein and the elongate shaft of the equipment securing apparatus is extendable through the at least one body panel opening.
The spring support member of an equipment securing apparatus according to the present invention preferably includes a cylindrical bore in substantial registration with the passageway, the shaft being slidably disposed therethrough. The spring is preferably a helical spring disposed around the shaft intermediate the spring support member and the upper wall.
The latching assembly of the securing apparatus according to the present invention may include a slider guide rod attached to the spring support member. The spring compression control assembly may then include a cam lever arm pivotably attached to the housing. A cam may be attached to a control arm that is pivotably attached to the housing. The cam lever arm is configured for engaging the cam and the slider guide rod so that rotation of the control arm causes rotation of the cam lever arm and translation of the spring support member.
The load transfer member of an equipment securing apparatus according to the present invention may include a locking collar having a collar passage with said shaft slidably extending therethrough. The locking collar may be attached to the spring support member.
The shaft of an equipment securing apparatus according to the present invention may include a plurality of spaced apart holes formed therein and the load transfer member may include a locking pin selectively disposed in one of said plurality of spaced apart holes.
The engagement member of an equipment securing apparatus according to the present invention may be formed on the shaft and may include a first engagement arm projecting laterally away from the distal end of the shaft. The engagement arm may be curved to form a hook-like member. The engagement member may also include a second engagement arm projecting laterally away from the distal end of said shaft, generally oppositely from the first engagement arm.
The shaft of an equipment securing apparatus according to the present invention is preferably rotatably mounted to the shaft retaining portion of the housing so that the shaft may be selectively rotated to move the engagement member to a desired orientation with respect to the equipment to be secured.
An equipment securing apparatus according to the present invention may further comprise an elongate support beam having at least one aperture formed therethrough. The elongate support beam is attachable to the vehicle and is configured for attachment of the housing thereto. The housing is selectively attachable to the support beam so that the passageway is in substantial alignment with a selected one of the at least one aperture and the shaft is slidably disposed through the selected one of the at least one aperture. The elongate support beam is attachable to the vehicle so that the selected one of the at least one aperture is in substantial alignment with an opening in a body panel of the vehicle and the elongate shaft is extendable through the body panel opening.
In an illustrative embodiment of an equipment securing apparatus for securing equipment to a vehicle according to the present invention, the equipment securing apparatus comprises an elongate shaft having a proximal end and a distal end. An equipment engagement member is formed on the distal end of the shaft for securing engagement with equipment on the vehicle. The securing apparatus further comprises a latching assembly attachable to a portion of the vehicle. The latching assembly includes a housing having an upper wall and a shaft retaining portion with a passageway formed therein. The shaft is slidably mounted to the housing and extends through the passageway of the shaft retaining portion. The latching assembly also includes a spring support member having a cylindrical bore in substantial registration with the passageway, the shaft being slidably disposed therethrough. A helical spring is disposed around the shaft intermediate the spring support member and the upper wall. The latching assembly also includes means for transferring a biasing force from the spring to the shaft through the spring support member and means for selectively compressing and decompressing the spring. The latching assembly is selectively operable to retain the engagement member in a securing relationship with the equipment and to release the engagement member from the securing relationship.
The latching assembly of this illustrative embodiment may include a slider guide rod attached to the spring support member. The means for selectively compressing and decompressing the spring may include a cam lever arm pivotably attached to the housing, a control arm pivotably attached to the housing, and a cam attached to the control arm. The cam lever arm may be configured for engaging the cam and the slider guide rod so that rotation of the control arm causes rotation of the cam lever arm and translation of the spring support member.
The means for transferring a biasing force of a securing apparatus according to the present invention may include a locking collar having a collar passage with the shaft slidably extending therethrough. The locking collar may be attached to the spring support member.
The means for transferring a biasing force of an equipment securing apparatus according to the present invention may include a plurality of spaced apart holes formed in the shaft and a locking pin selectively disposed in one of said plurality of spaced apart holes.
In another illustrative embodiment of the present invention, an equipment securing apparatus for securing equipment to a vehicle comprises an elongate shaft having a proximal end and a distal end and an equipment engagement member formed on the distal end of the shaft for securing engagement with equipment on the vehicle. The securing apparatus further comprises a latching assembly attachable to a portion of the vehicle. The latching assembly includes a housing having an upper wall and a shaft retaining portion with a passageway formed therein. The shaft is slidably mounted to the housing and extends through the passageway of the shaft retaining portion. The latching assembly further includes a helical spring mounted within the housing adjacent the upper wall, the spring being disposed around the shaft. The latching assembly also includes a spring support member having a cylindrical bore in substantial registration with the passageway, the shaft being slidably disposed therethrough. The spring is disposed intermediate the spring support member and the upper wall. A slider guide rod is attached to the spring support member and a load transfer member is mounted to the shaft. The load transfer member and the spring support member are configured for transferring a biasing force from the spring to the shaft. The latching assembly also includes a spring compression control assembly operatively connected to the spring support member. The spring compression control assembly includes a cam lever arm pivotably attached to the housing, a control arm pivotably attached to said housing, and a cam attached to said control arm. The cam lever arm is configured for engaging the cam and the slider guide rod so that rotation of the control arm causes rotation of the cam lever arm and translation of the spring support member. The latching assembly is selectively operable to retain the engagement member in a securing relationship with the equipment and to release the engagement member from the securing relationship.
An equipment securing apparatus for securing equipment to a support structure according to the present invention comprises an elongate shaft having a proximal end and a distal end and an equipment engagement member formed on the distal end of the shaft for securing engagement with equipment on the support structure. The equipment securing apparatus further comprises a latching assembly including a shaft support member attachable to a portion of the support structure. The shaft support member has a shaft retaining portion with a first passageway formed therein, the shaft being slidably disposed therethrough. The latching assembly also includes a spring support member having a second passageway in substantial registration with the first passageway, said shaft being slidably disposed therethrough. A helical spring is disposed around the shaft intermediate the shaft support member and the spring support member. The latching assembly further includes means for transferring a biasing force from the spring to the shaft through the spring support member and means for selectively compressing and decompressing said spring. The latching assembly is selectively operable to retain the engagement member in a securing relationship with the equipment and to release the engagement member from the securing relationship.
By the above, the present invention provides a simple and effective device for securing ladders to a vehicle body, especially to an equipment rack on a vehicle body. The present invention further provides a compact latching arrangement that may be secured within the confines of the vehicle interior without significant detrimental impact on storage space therein.